Improved haeness-teace



@uiten tetes atwt ffir..

ROBERT J. STEELE, JR.,.OF ROOKINGHAM, NORTH CAROLINA.

Letters Patent No. 75,593, dated March 17,' 1868.

l IMPROVED HARNESS-TRACE.

` TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that LROBERT J. STEELE, Jr., of Rockingham, in the county of Richmond, and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and improved Harness-Trace; and I do hereby `declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable lthose skilled in` the art to make and use the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification.

This invention consists in constructing a trace entirely of iron, steel, or other suitable metal, andin such a. manner as to supersede leather, or leather and chains combined, which ,have hitherto been exclusively used.

The accompanying drawing represents a perspective view of my inventon.- L

A. represents the hames portion of the trace, commonly termed the haines-tug, which is constructed of a piece of metal, (iron will probably be most generally used,)in the form of a flat bar. The front end of Ais attached to the hames by means of a chain, a, and a loop, much in the same way as the ordinary leather haines-tugs are` attached. The rear end of A- has a loop or eye, b, securely riveted to it, in which'a hook, c, is fitted, said hook passing through an eye, d, attached to the front end of the other part or main portion B of the trace. The eye d is constructedof a piece of wire or rod, bent and passed through a loop, c, formed on the frontend of B, bending over B and riveting the bent portion' to the other part, as clearly shown in the drawing.l The rear end of B has one or more linksf attached V.to it, by which it is connected to the whiie-tree. A loop, g, to receive the breeching-strap is attached to the upper odge ofB near its front end.

Traces constructed on this plan for heavy harnesses may be galvanized orcoate'd with paint. Those designed for light harnesses may ibe covered with thin leather. Theyv may be constructed at a muchlcss cost than the usual leather traces, and befar'st'roneer and more durable. `In* certain cases where necessary, a chain may be substituted for the part B. I f,

` I claim asy new, and desire to secure by Letters Patentv A harness-trace, A B, made of flat bars of metal coated or covered with any suitable material, the extremi-` ties ofthe trace being provided with links af, and the parts A'B vbeing coupled together by means of the hook c and eye d, substantially as described, for the purpose specified. ROBERT J. STEELE, Jn. l

Witnesses:

W. W. J. FowLKEs, MARTIN V. TERRY. 

